Thursday, 18 November 2010

As well as looking on the internet, it's also useful to look into books at the library to see what other logos are out there that might not be as well known, to gain more inspiration for my ideas and to gain further understanding into how logos work and what is relevant for the business/service I will be branding.

I looked at a few books and came across "CorporateIdentity4". What I liked about this book was that it had examples for all different kinds of businesses, whether it was for entertainment, a product or a restaurant. So it was easier to compare the different styles and what ideas are commonly used for certain business.

The first Logo that stood out to me in this book was 'Zero'

Which is a frozen drink, like a Slush.

I think that the style is cool, it's modern and targeted to a younger age group, teens to early 20's maybe?

I like the logo or symbol which has been used, it is supposed to look like a snow flake, but has a spikey effect making it look sharp and gives me the impression of an energetic, or striking drink, maybe its a frozen energy drink?

I also like how the drink has been altered for each drink so the style is consistent but slightly different for each flavor.

I also like the main logo, which is plain typography, it's modern but I think it's well chosen as it won't date.

I think that it matches the symbol well and meets the target market.

Overall, it's a successful logo.

The second logo I came across was this logo for "". Which made me think of the Space Bar.

I think something like this would work well for the Space Bar if it kept the same name, however the name needs to change.

I still like the style and the simplicity of this logo, so something like this would work nicely.

I was surprised to come across the 'Warners Brothers' logo as I didn't recognize any other logo in this book.

This logo is widely recognized all over the world for the looney toons, and lots of movies, etc.

I love this logo, it has an old fashioned style, it makes me think of broadway.

I love the shape of the logo, it's very bold and yet really simple.

I don't think this would work as a logo for a restaurant though...

I thought this logo was interesting, I like the way the 'O' is much larger.

I also like how the logo has been used in these images, especially on the business card, it's different and quirky!

I like the simple Typography, it doesn't take too much focus off of the 'O'.

Sunday, 14 November 2010

As this project was based around branding, I decided to look into design companies to see what logos are out there, so I can gain a thorough understanding of logo design, what works, what's popular, etc.

The first website I looked at would be FutureBrand, This website had plenty well known logos in their portfolio, UPS, Air Canada, Microsoft, Barclays, Intel and more.

I thought this would be good to compare with the next website, as this company covers larger companies, I have noticed the larger, or the more well known the company, the simpler the logo is, I think a company like intel or UPS needs a simple Iconic logo, a Symbolic Logo, so that you can recognize that company just by seeing that image.

Instead of needing to actually read Typography, You can see a symbol and immediately relate to that company.

They also did branding for a lot of well known companies like Innocent, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Absolut Vodka, Waitrose and more. I noticed that the companies were food/drink brands, and mainly consisted of Typography.

You can also tell from the designs what target market the brand is aimed at, innocent has a more simple and lighthearted typeface so that would be aimed at a younger age group, where as Green&Black's is a more sophisticated typeface so its aimed at an older age group. So that is something I also need to consider when creating my logo.

Just by comparing these sites I can see that a certain kind of company uses a certain kind of logo, I don't think a symbolic logo would have worked as well as a Logo Type, however pepsi uses a combination logo, I think it would only work if it had Typography with it, like innocent also has a little smiley face as a symbolic logo.

The Student Union project was also very successful, And I didn't really encounter any problems, I also worked on the goals I set from the virtual reality project, and met them, so the only goal I can really set is to just keep it up and not slack in organization or motivation to annotate as I go along.

SMART Goals:

Specific:

The next project is based on Logo Design. I'm not sure for what business yet, but I think in terms of research I can look into books in the library like I have done for the student union project to cover a wider range of sources.

Measurable:

I know that doing more in depth research made it easier for idea generation, but I maybe had too many ideas and found it hard to choose a main idea to develop. So maybe I need to find that balance of not too much and not too little amounts of research.

Achievable:

I think this is achievable, I'll just have to stop myself from putting too much research down, and once I have a good few inspirational designs to start idea generation at that point.

Realistic:

It is definitely realistic, and I know myself when I have a good idea! I just need to narrow down what research I put in my sketchbook.

Time Based:

The next brief hasn't been delivered yet, but I know that I will meet the deadline, I'll plan ahead one I receive the brief.

I have really enjoyed this project, I liked the fact it was a live brief so it gave me even more of incentive to work harder on this.I liked the subjects that there were to work on, the sexual health subject is something that I could play around with, I could choose any style I wanted to work on this but in the end went for photography as rest of the class went with some form of illustration and as I mentioned for the previous project, I like to be different.I thought that photography looked modern, and would attract my age group, especially the objects I put together for my photos, they are more targeted to my age group like the leopard print underwear and flavored condoms.I also liked using InDesign, it's the first time I've used it on my outcome, and I found it alot easier using that program for my development, I liked how you could just keep copying and pasting onto new pages to view each stage in the same file. So I will be using that program for all my future projects.

What I didn't enjoy:

the only thing I didn't enjoy was going out shopping for objects to go in my photos, especially the condoms and lube! got lots of funny looks, so it was quite embarrassing...but other than that I enjoyed the project and found it fun working in the photography department.

Problems encountered:

The only problem I did encounter was idea generation, I found it hard using the inspiration I got from research as there was so many different Ideas in mind. Eventually I narrowed it down to the clipping mask, which turned out to be successful and most effective.

What went well:

Most of the project went well, the idea behind my posters was simple, taking pictures and creating a clipping mask with a chosen font, so it wasn't difficult.The poster turned out how I wanted it, and was successful in communicating the various subjects while showing consistency so you could tell they were a pair.

What didn't go well:

there wasn't anything in particular that didn't go well. Although when taking photos of the lights I found difficulty getting the right lighting so the fairy lights would show well. In the end all that was needed was a black sheet behind and arranging the lights so there wasn't large gaps between lights.

New skills and Knowledge acquired:

The only skills I've acquired in the project would be use of InDesign, even though I've used it in I.T sessions, Using it for putting together my own work was difficult at first, remembering to have save the files etc, I also needed to be organized with the files so that they were kept together as if the files were missing that image wouldn't be present in the poster.

Good time management:

I think my time management was good, I spent the right amount of time researching and was ready to start idea generation, I also had plenty time to tweak my poster as I chose a simple concept so didn't take a lot of work to put together (the process was simple).

SWOT conclusion

Strengths:

I think this time round my work was more organized and I also did more research using magazines and books from the library so I covered a wider variety of sources, which worked in my favor, so that was a goal I met which i set from the previous project.I also thought I managed the photography well, and took great photos, and learned new skills with lighting effects.

Weaknesses:

I can't think of anything I need to improve on other than idea generation, again I got stuck but I think that was down to too much inspiration, but that will be a problem I face a lot in the future, the main point is that overcome the problem and produced a successful pair of posters in the end.

Opportunities:

I can't think of anything I can improve on at the moment, other than with idea generation, needing to relax, instead of trying too hard, especially when I could have been more witty with the meaning behind my typography, choosing a witty phrase, etc. I will also continue to work on my InDesign skills so I'm more confident when putting my work together.

Threats:

There isn't anything that would block me from achieving my goals that I can recognize with this project, as I was successful and created a successful pair of posters, communicating the subjects well.

After doing the virtual reality project I managed to get back into the creative process well, and found it easier to organize myself for the second project.I always end up leaving my annotation until the last minute, so I'd like to try and organize my work better and annotate as I go along, instead of rushing at the end.

SMART goals

Specific:

For the next project (which is a live brief) I have been asked to create a pair of posters for the college Student Union.There are 5 subjects to design for, which I must chose 2 from.The purpose of the posters is to communicate the subjects in a creative way which draws the eye of students (my age group), while keeping the style similar so that the posters look like a pair or are related to the same group (Student Union).

Measurable:

With the virtual reality project, I was successful in communicating my views on virtual reality in a way that i intended, a simple way!I did thorough research into all the forms of virtual reality and came up with the idea of using words which also mean both virtual and reality, to create the form of a PS3 controller, but keeping it very modern, clean and fresh, which is my style.I don't think there is anything I would change about my outcome if I did it again, but if I was to produce my development and research again, I would organize myself and my work a little better instead of leaving things until the last minute.So for the next project I will work on my organization so I don't rush towards the end.I think I'd also like to include other sources of research, so I could try looking at magazines and books from the library as well as on the internet.

Achievable:

I think these goals are definitely achievable.

Realistic:

The library will have plenty current magazines for me to look at to see what posters are out their for the target market already. So this will be the first place for me to look at when researching posters for this next project.There will also be plenty books for me to look at to see what various examples of posters their are, which I can then use as inspiration and use certain styles for my designs.I can also see what series of posters are out their and how they have been laid out, and what is consistent in them to show they are related.

Time Based:

I have 4 weeks to complete the next project, so I have plenty time to organize my work and plan what I will do over the next 4 weeks to produce my pair of posters.

Saturday, 13 November 2010

I have really enjoyed this project, and I'm pleased this was the first project of my first year, as it gave me the opportunity to be creative and do whatever I wanted. Which is one thing that I loved the most about this project, I had a lot of freedom.The topic for the poster itself was an exciting one, virtual reality covers such a wide range of avenues to down, such as games, films, and even dreams. So it was something I could go crazy on once I got into the project and began brainstorming.

What I didn't enjoy and problems encountered:

I can't say that I haven't enjoyed this project if I'm honest. I have found it a huge challenge where my illustrator skills are concerned, but it has been good for developing my skills and making me more comfortable with the software.Typography based designs are not something I've focused a lot on, so creating an image entirely out of text was a such challenge and out of my comfort zone.But it is always my intention with every project to push myself to the very limit.Towards the end of the project I was getting a little fed up as I sat for days tweaking small bits of the design (perfecting it) as I wanted it to look as detailed and as close to a real PS3 control pad that I could achieve.Which I think I was successful in achieving.

What went well:

I think the whole project in general went well, my design was successful, and I learned new skills on how to manipulate the typography in illustrator.I'm so pleased with the outcome, and I'm quite shocked I was able to pull it off so well as it was something which was new to me.I think I was also successful in communicating my views on virtual reality, which is the main point of the poster itself, so everything went well!

What didn't go well:

There wasn't anything in particular that didn't go well.However, At first it was difficult to put the design together, and getting the hang of manipulating each word so it created the perfect shape of a PS3 control pad. It took a while to achieve the end product, but I got there eventually!

New skills I've acquired:

I think the only skills I've acquired in this project are successfully manipulating typography in illustrator, simply by altering the characters (by tweaking the Kerning, Leading, tracking, and Vertical Scale).

New knowledge acquired:

From completing this project I've gained a firm understanding of virtual reality and it's various forms, as well as how to manipulate typography in illustrator.

How good was my time management:

I think I managed my time very well, I hit the deadline and produced a good body of research/development to go with my final outcome.I think I spent the right amount of time researching too, as it left me lots of time to focus on my final design, I sat for 2 days perfecting certain areas and didn't feel under pressure (which helped me a lot in creating a good design, it wasn't messy).

SWOT Conclusion

Strengths:

In any project I do, I always perform thorough research into subject, so I gain a full understanding of what it is I'm being asked to do, What is expected of me, and what is already out there in the world.It helps me to rule out certain ideas that might come into my head instantly as the idea could have been done already, I like to be different, and come up with something new.Which is why I would never jump in with both feet.As well as thorough research, I do thorough development, so the end product is done to the best of my ability and looks as professional as possible (another strength I'd like to think I have, Professionalism)

Weaknesses:

One weakness I recognize a lot, is that sometimes I find I'm not relaxed or loose in terms of idea generation, for example If I need to be witty I think too much into it so I get stuck!With this project the idea came to me through doing research so wasn't a problem this time round.

Opportunities:

I think where my weaknesses are concerned, it will take time to just relax, in a year I hope I have made some progress with that as it holds me back sometimes and can make me less confident as a designer.

Threats:

The only threat I recognize with myself is confidence as a designer, I don't speak up if i have an idea, similar to what I said about Idea generation above, I'm not relaxed enough, again it will take time to gain that confidence to speak up when i need to, (I'm working on it! and I have improved from ND graphics)

As part of our Work Related Module (AD109) we will be doing a series of live briefs throughout the year.

The first one we have done is the Seaton Sluice Pre School Logo design.

Seaton Sluice was a fairly straightforward project, the Pre School got in touch about rebranding their logo. They wanted something more relevant to the Pre School, that would look quite light hearted and fun. They put forward a drawing created by one of their pupils, which was a pencil drawing of a rosette. So they decided to go with the idea of using the rosette as a symbolic logo.

Since the idea was already given, it was down to the class to interpret this idea and come up with a logo for the Pre School that would speak fun and childish without looking unprofessional or ‘tacky’.

I begun with researching into rosette shapes, both real rosettes and computer generated, to see the various details. I then took this knowledge and used it to develop some first ideas.

I gave mine a zig-zagged edge to give it more character rather than just having a smooth edge. I originally gave it three ribbons but altered it to two, as it looked too over crowded.

There wasn’t much development to be done to the colour, as the colour preference was narrowed down, due to the colour of the Pre Schools sweatshirt (a deep Purple) so the colour had to be bright and a colour that would compliment the purple. I decided to go with a bright yellow and white. Both colours that I put forward in my final ideas. I thought the yellow looked nice with the purple and looked warm. The white also stood out a lot, however I think the yellow would grab your attention a lot more and looks more fun/childish.

IT was a good experience doing this project, and it's a good way to break us into doing more live briefs.